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Operation Quantum
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what period the contract for Operation Quantum will be awarded. [10091]
Ms Quin: It is anticipated that any contract will be awarded for a period of up to 10 years from completion of implementation.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of posts remaining within the Prison Service at administrative and executive grades after the completion of Operation Quantum. [10096]
Ms Quin: I am not in a position to make an estimate of the number of posts which will remain within the Prison Service at this stage. Final decisions have not yet been made on the scope of the project, nor on whether the services in question should be contracted-out or remain in-house.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies have been invited to tender for Operation Quantum. [10089]
Ms Quin: The Prison Service has not yet issued invitations to tender for Quantum. Three suppliers have taken part in a study of the Prison Service's requirements. These are:
- PRISM--a special vehicle company comprising Sema Group, Bull, Deloitte & Touche Consulting, Serco, Premier Prison Services Ltd. and CSL.
- EDS--with A. T. Kearney, Lockheed Martin and Securicor Custodial Services.
- Team Novus--Comprising ICL, Group 4 (Securitas), Perot Systems and Capita.
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Geoffrey Thomas
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Prison Service inquiry into the death of Geoffrey Thomas; [10094]
- (2) if an offer of compensation to Mrs. Marina Davis, the mother of Geoffrey Thomas whose death was the subject of the Prison Service inquiry has been made; and what negotiations regarding the matter are in progress; [10093]
(3) for what reasons the disciplinary proceedings against five members of the staff of Cardiff prison arising out of the use of physical restraints upon Geoffrey Thomas whilst a patient in the University Hospital of Wales at Cardiff have commenced and been adjourned; and on what date the proceedings will re-commence. [10095]
Ms Quin: At present, the Prison Service does not publish investigation reports into the deaths of prisoners. The policy on the disclosure of such reports is currently being reviewed.
The Prison Service has not made an offer of compensation to Mrs. Marina Davis in respect of her son, Geoffrey Thomas, and no approach has been made to the service by her, or her representatives regarding compensation.
Disciplinary proceedings were instituted against five members of staff at Cardiff prison following the death of Geoffrey Thomas. The first hearing took place on 19 May. Three of the cases have been concluded: one case was proven and two were not.
The Prison Governor's Association has questioned the legality of the actions of the governor in the investigation of the cases. The disciplinary proceedings against the other two members of staff were suspended on 22 May, pending the resolution of these legal issues.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many barristers were paid (a) £100,000 to £249,999 and (b) £250,000 or over out of public funds in the last available year. [9191]
Mr. Hoon:
The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department for what reasons
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officials from the Public Record Office are carrying out a review to estimate the cost of opening Government files after (a) 20 and (b) 25 years; what are the terms of reference of this review; when it began; when it is expected to end; and if copies of the report arising out of the review will be made available to the public. [9469]
Mr. Hoon:
The work forms part of the preparation of the Government's White Paper on freedom of information, which will be published later in the year.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and what percentage of civil servants in each of grades 1 to 7, SEO and HEO in his Department are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [9566]
Mr. Hoon:
For the Lord Chancellor's Department, including the Court Service and the Public Trust Office, the information, as at 18 July 1997, is set out in the table. Figures and percentages are based upon a 91 per cent. response to a voluntary staff survey of ethnic origin. There is no legislative requirement to monitor the ethnic origin of Northern Ireland Court Service employees and no figures are available. I have asked the chief executives of the Land Registry and the Public Record Office to reply separately.
| Respondents of Asian origin | Percentage | Respondents of Black African and Black Caribbean origin | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Grade 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Grade 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Grade 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Grade 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Grade 6 | (1)-- | 1.63 | -- | -- |
| Grade 7 | (1)-- | 1 | (1)-- | 0.5 |
| SEO | (1)-- | 0.38 | (1)-- | 0.38 |
| HEO | 11 | 1.18 | 12 | 1.28 |
(1) In order to preserve the anonymity of individuals, figures of five or less are not specified.
Letter from Stuart Hill to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 24 July 1997:
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I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning the number of staff within two ethnic categories.
Following a Grading and Pay Review the Land Registry has moved to a new system of grades for staff below the Senior Civil Service. The new grades are shown against the Civil Service equivalents.
The information is as follows:
| Grade | Civil Service equivalent | Asian origin | Afro-caribbean origin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | ||
| Senior Civil Service | -- | 1 | 5.56 | 0 | -- |
| Senior Registration Assistant 1 | Grade 6 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Senior Registration Assistant 2 | Grade 2 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Senior Registration Assistant (Lawyer) | Grade 6 or 7 | 2 | 1.83 | 0 | -- |
| Registration Executive 1 | SEO | 3 | 1.10 | 1 | 0.37 |
| Registration Executive 2 | HEO | 6 | 1.20 | 1 | 0.20 |
The percentage figures are expressed as a percentage of staff within each grade who responded to the ethnic survey. The overall response rate is 94.4 per cent. within the Land Registry.
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Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 24 July 1997:
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The Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about the numbers and percentages of civil servants of Asian and of Afro-Caribbean origin.
The details are set out below. Most of our staff are covered by our own payband system and I have given the approximate civil service grade equivalents for guidance.
| Grade/Band | Staff of Asian origin | Percentage of total | Staff of Afro-Caribbean origin | Percentage of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Service Grade 1 | No staff in this grade | -- | -- | -- |
| Civil Service Grade 2 | No staff in this grade | -- | -- | -- |
| Civil Service Grade 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Civil Service Grade 4 | No staff in this grade | -- | -- | -- |
| Civil Service Grade 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PRO Band 1 (Civil Service Grades 6 and 7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PRO Band 2 Civil Service Grades 8 and 9 (SEO, HEO) and equivalents | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 |
| PRO Band 3 Civil Service Grades 9 and 10 (HEO, EO) and equivalents | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 |
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Employment Advertisements
Ms Perham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how often since 1992 his Department has been responsible for employment advertisements which contained age restrictions upon those who could apply. [9501]
Mr. Hoon: This reply is given on behalf of the Court Service, the Land Registry, the Northern Ireland Court Service, the Public Record Office, Lord Chancellor's Department headquarters and its associated offices, and the Public Trust Office.
The Land Registry and the Public Record Office do not include age restrictions in their recruitment advertisements.
An advertisement for a combined recruitment scheme for direct entrant executive officers in the Court Service, Public Trust Office and LCD HQ in 1992 contained age restrictions; but there have been no instances since then when either the Public Trust Office or LCD HQ have included upper or lower age limits in their advertisements.
As regards the Court Service, all advertisements for usher and bailiff posts until July last year specified a lower age limit. As such advertisements were placed locally by the courts concerned, it would not be possible to identify how often they have appeared between 1992 and July 1996 without incurring disproportionate cost.
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